The reflective faceplate covered the face of the SPARTAN II warrior as he watched the remnants of Halo, the ring world with the power to wipe out all life in the galaxy, go up in smoke, along with an Covenant, Flood, or Marines that were left on it.

The Marines...

Those rough and ready leathernecks were warriors. The best of the best, even if they were only humans. Despite the fact he, a SPARTAN II with a biologically enhanced body and the MJOLNIR battle armor to complement and increase his strength and speed even more, was better than the Marines, they still fought with all they had.

They all deserved a better death than the one they got.

Sighing, he went into a deep slumber as Cortana, the AI Construct, guided the Longsword Interceptor fighter back to Earth.

~Previously on Metroid~

Samus Aran. Bounty hunter extraordinaire.

Even as she let Adam guide her ship back to Federation Headquarters, her mind ponder several things.

”Why? Why would the Federation want to study something as heartless as the X?”

This was something she knew well. The merciless destruction that ensued from the X parasite’s break-out aboard the Biologic Space Lab proved that.

They manifested themselves in the bodies of every creature aboard the ship. Even the body of Ridley became an X host.

Only the Metroids being bred by the Federation were able to hold their own against the X. So was she...for she had saved her life from the X with the injection of DNA from the very last Metroid she recovered from SR388.

”That little guy saved me twice...but still, what is going on with the Federation? There was no reason for them to keep the breeding program a secret from me. So why?”

These questions would plague her as she let Adam co-pilot the ship back to Federation HQ, even as the Dachoras and Electoons slumbered peacefully on the floor of her ship.

----

How are these two related? They are in totally different galaxies, fighting for different purposes. Their gender is different, and they most certainly don’t have the same ship. So how are they in common?

They will find out once they meet each other unexpectedly...aboard one of the other remaining ring worlds of Halo...

But how will Samus get to a ring world that’s in a different galaxy?

That shall soon be revealed.

Part 1-A New Mission/First Contact

~10 Light-Years Away from Federation HQ~

Samus looked through the ship’s front window, watching as the stars passed by, glowing and giving light to an otherwise dark universe.

“Lady?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the computerized voice of her CO, Adam Malkovich. She turned around and replied, “What is it?”

“A message from Federation Headquarters. They have a new mission for you...”

“And?”

“According to their message, radio waves have been detected that originate far away from a different galaxy. Federation wants you to check them out.”

Samus sighed as she looked at the coordinates. The origin of the radio waves was in a planet near the outer edge of another galaxy over 40,000 light years away. A trip like that would take months.

“Lady, I suggest you place yourself in the cryo-freeze. This trip will take a long time.”

“Okay...” Her eyes turned to the slumbering creatures on the floor. “What about the Dachoras and Electoons?”

“I will pilot the ship and make a quick stop by a one of the Federation’s Space Habitats. They will be fine there.”

“...okay. Thank you Adam.”

Samus stepped inside the cryo-tube and laid against the back of it as the coolant quickly came in, freezing her body into a stasis for the long trip.

----

At this point in time, in a different galaxy...

A gray-haired man smoked from his pipe as he looked at the ring-shaped object with sharp eyes, almost as if he was staring straight through it.

He was Captain Jacob Keyes, and the ship he was on was known as the Pillar of Autumn. He looked over his crew, typing away furiously on their consoles as the radar continuously bleeped with red signals.

Covenant signals.

He sighed as he turned toward the hologram of what appeared to be a purple woman clad in black.

“Cortana, what are we up against?”

The AI construct frowned as she shook her head. “Not too good sir. Three Covenant cruisers. Our Longsword Interceptors are holding their own against the Covenant fighters, but they won’t be able to do a thing against shield cruisers.”

“I know, I know.” He looked away from her at the ring-world once more. Things weren’t looking good.

One option was left.

“Cortana....wake up our old friend.”

Cortana smiled. He was speaking of the last SPARTAN II. John-117, but she kept that to herself. To everyone else, he was simply known as Master Chief.

“Got it Keyes.”

----

~Five Months Pass~

A little spec of light suddenly turned into a ship as it exited light speed.

It was the Gunship of Samus Aran.

Adam’s computerized mind guided the ship carefully...intent on finding the source of the radio waves.

----

The Master Chief winced as he looked upon the ring-world.

One of the many Halos in the galaxy.

And down there were Covenant forces searching for the Flood to destroy them.

Usually, something like this would be a cause for applause among men. However, the High Command of the UNSC worried that in their quest to eliminate the Flood, the Covenant might incidentally let the Flood escape on board one of their ships.

And that would’ve been a catastrophic death knell to the entire galaxy.

Cortana’s voice was heard as he looked upon the artificial world, being conquered slowly by the large Covenant forces, then being pushed back by a Flood counterattack.

“Chief, I’ve accessed the Covenant Battle-net. Things aren’t looking good for them down there. For every victory, the Flood come rushing back with another legion of warriors. Every time the Covenant attack, they lose many of their warriors to the Flood, only to be fighting against them later on.”

The Chief already knew the grimness of the situation. He had encountered them before...on a different Halo. One that was located between the gas giant Threshold and its moon, Basis.

Covenant were conquered and transformed by the Flood. As were the Marines...

He still carried a scar from the whole battle on Halo.

Every single human on the Pillar of Autumn...lost either in battle, or transformed into deformed monsters by the Flood.

He still felt like he was responsible in some way for everyone’s death on Halo. He knew that their lives were wasted in a conflict to gain control of what they thought to be a weapon, but turned out to be the bane of the galaxy.

The Flood.

The ship he was in was an old scouting ship, the Flawless Cowboy. It had been armed to the teeth by the UNSC, and fit with a large MAC gun on the bottom, just in case he had to fight a Covenant cruiser on the run.

Even though the ship was only about twelve times as small as the Pillar of Autumn, it was spacious enough for only him.

However, he wouldn’t mind the company of a fellow human right now.

Alarms suddenly brought him out of his day-dream as Cortana started to panic.

Bad news. Could it be a new kind of Covenant vessel? That was the last thing he need right now.

“Cortana. Charge the MAC gun. We may need it.”

“Hold on...never mind. We won’t need it.”

Master Chief mentally sighed. This AI had a knack for occasionally ticking him off. “And why is that?”

“It’s only about the size of a standard Pelican dropship. It doesn’t even have the shielding used by all the Covenant’s ships!”

This caused a slight bit of a worry in the Master Chief’s mind. If it wasn’t a Covenant vessel, then could it be the Flood escaping from Halo on a foreign vessel?

When he checked the ship’s trajectory, he gave a slight sigh of relief. It wasn’t leading away form Halo.

Rather...it was heading straight for it.

“Cortana.”

“Got it Chief.” Cortana’s hologram disappeared before the armored Spartan II pulled out her core chip, implanting it in his helmet.

“Alright Chief. Head for the airlock.”

Cortana’s voice rang clear as he made his way to Cowboy’s rear.

----

Adam brought the Gunship to a sudden halt when his radar screen caught the signal of a foreign vessel.

“A foreign vessel. We have officially made eyesight with a foreign vessel.”

He looked at the somewhat clunky design of the ship. It was over a dozen times bigger than the Gunship, but the technology behind it wasn’t as advanced.

“Are the creatures of this galaxy lesser advanced than us?”

As he increased the radar’s range, he caught the signals of several other ships.

“Hmm....plasma based weaponry and defensive shielding detected...it couldn’t be the Space Pirates...”

The Space Pirates were the scourge of Samus’ galaxy. The main antagonists of the Galactic Federation.

Thus far, Samus had dealt them the most damage. She had destroyed Mother Brain twice. She had utterly annihilated their most powerful figureheads, even the almighty Ridley. She had destroyed their base on the planet Zebes, and had completely halted their mining and research of the dreaded Phazon mutagen on Tallon IV.

But as he scanned the ships further, he detected that the personnel on board were of a different origin.

“Interesting.”

His scanners then caught the attention of a small humanoid object slowly flying towards the Gunship.

----

Master Chief carefully directed himself threw the darkness of space as he careened towards the foreign ship.

He only hope there were some footholds.

As he collided onto the ship’s front screen, he grabbed a hold of a metallic tube the moved across the purple hull.

”Chief. I’m detecting an entryway on the ship’s underbelly.”

The Master Chief slowly moved about as he carefully grabbed small footholds on the ship’s carapace. If he moved too quickly, he’d slip and he would be sent flying through space, only to die a slow and cold death.

A fellow SPARTAN II had died a similar fate. His teammate James had been sent flying into space when a Covenant warrior had imbedded multiple Needler rounds in his thrust pack while trying to defend the planet Reach. James thrusters exploded and he had been sent flying through space, only to die a cold death.

He didn’t want the same thing to happen to him.

As he carefully put his hands upon the entry hatch, he carefully moved his padded fingers around, feeling for something to open it.

There.

Pushing the small button, the circular hatch opened, allowing him access. He climbed in and waited as the sealed tube pressurized, bringing back gravity.

Of course, he had to be ready. He took out his MA5B Assault Rifle and pointed the barrel toward the door of the tube.

It slowly opened, revealing the innards of the ship. Cortana’s gasp indicated that this ship was exciting in some way.

“Amazing. The technology on this ship is more advanced than the Covenant’s cruisers! Cloaking technology and propulsion systems unlike any I’ve ever seen!”

The thought worried Master Chief a little. If the one piloting the ship was hostile...

“Please identify yourselves.”

Master Chief quickly turned his weapon in the direction of the voice, which came from the console.

It sounded mechanical and confident. Almost like the Monitor’s...he shook that notion off.

“This vessel is my own. All visitors should give their identity if they are to be welcomed aboard.”

Cortana growled and was about to retort when the Spartan II replied, “This is the AI construct Cortana. I’m the Master Chief.”

”Nice going Chief.”

Cortana’s dissent with his decision to reveal themselves was easily known. It mattered not.

“Thank you. I am Adam Malkovich, the pilot of this Gunship. I am interested to see such a fully automated artificial intelligence.”

“And you aren’t?”

The voice chuckled. “No. I am merely the mind of a deceased CO computerized and digitized. I’m living through a computer in layman’s terms.”

Cortana was obviously impressed. ”Living on as a computer? I should say that I’m impressed to.”

The Master Chief looked around the ship. His eye caught a tube holding an armored figure. “Who’s in there?”

Adam’s voice echoed through the small space of the Gunship. “Samus Aran. Bounty Hunter. We came here from another galaxy on orders from the Galactic Federation to investigate radio waves that we received. Here they are.”

Adam began playing them back, and the sounds of rock music from the 1960’s filled the room. Cortana started laughing so hard that her hologram image was kneeling over, laughing without end.

“Oh my goodness! An alien civilization from another galaxy intercepts a radio transmission of the Beatles!”

Master Chief wasn’t as amused. He had never heard this kind of music before, and it didn’t particularly catch his ears. “Is the bounty hunter ready to be awoken?”

“Truth to tell, we’ve encountered extraterrestrials. I suppose now is the time.”

Chilled sub-zero oxygen poured from the tube as a red light was emanated from within the tube. After thirty seconds of the red glow, the armored figure of Samus Aran moved.

Master Chief looked through the figure’s green visor to see a feminine face.

Cortana showed her surpise more vividly when she saw the figure behind the visor. “A girl?”

Adam could only chuckle when Samus quickly jumped out of the tube and put the Master Chief in a chokehold, pointing her Arm Cannon to the helmet. “That’s what they all say when they discover her gender.”

Samus was less than pleased to see a foreigner on her ship. She started charging the Power Beam as she said, “Tell me who you are and why you’re on board my ship.”

”You little friend 'Adam’ already got to know us bounty hunter. Do you mind if I take a look at your databanks?”

Samus made her chokehold tighter. “Why should I?”

”Because you’re someone from another galaxy, and I’m curious as to what kind of data I can find out about. I’m sort of a historian.”

Samus looked at the green circle on her Gunship’s main console, which blinked brightly, indicating Adam’s agreement. “Very well.” She let go of the Master Chief who got up easily, almost as if nothing happened.

He took out Cortana’s core chip and placed into a small slot near the side of the ship. Several seconds later, Cortana’s hologram appeared on the console, and she looked bright green instead of purple.

This meant she was emotional about something.

“What can you find Cortana.”

”Unbelievable. I can’t believe this! The technology! The history! It outpaces ours and the Covenant’s by a long shot! And I’ve just started!”

All the while, Adam was comparing the Master Chief and Samus Aran with every detail he could find. Their suits were identical in numerous ways, except Samus’ had a greater tolerance for abuse due to her Fusion suit’s technical advantages.

However, the one known as 'Master Chief’...body scans indicated that even Samus’ Chozo blood could make her a match for this green armored alien. His muscle mass was three times as great as hers, and a metal alloy was detected in his skeleton. This person had been biologically enhanced dramatically.

The wonder was that he was still alive.

Cortana’s eyes suddenly went worried and anxious when she said, ”Wait...what is this....Metroid....what the heck? Why are they so similar to the Flood???”

To be continued...

Next time...

The Metroids are revealed to Cortana and the Master Chief, and the horrors of the Flood are revealed to Adam and Samus.

Also, they begrudgingly join forces and land on Halo, intent on destroying the ring-world, and any Flood and Covenant that are on it.